Divine Protection
by Hoshi no Mori
Summary: Kaitosuke never really had people close to him, until one day he met her... Crusader x Acolye
1. Kidnapped

"What a day. Nothing to do but sit around and read this book I got earlier." a older male said. This male appeared about six foot five, was slumped against a tree, sword in sheath next to him. He was as easy as they came, and despite being one of the top crusaders in the force, was not exactly a pushover. One of Rune-Midgard's strongest servants of God, this man's name was Kaitosuke. He was twenty one years old, and had soft blue hair that fell almost to his shoulders. He was quite popular, but not as popular as the Paladins were.  
"Crazy little..." he quietly muttered. He flipped a page in his book and continued reading.

"Come on now girls, time to go in for the night!" an female High Priestess called.

"Aw, but why sister? We're just getting to support skills!" one of them asked, her soft pink hair defining her personality.

"Because of the monster attacks. We need to keep all of you safe, isn't that right Kaito?" she called over. The man looked up and said,

"Yeah, sure. Don't want of ya to get eaten." he muttered, reading still. A few of the girls whimpered.

"Aw, I'm not scared of some little demon! I'll take them on!" the pink-haired girl declared, punching the air.

"Now now, you need your rest. Inside, all of you." A few mutters and whines, but all of the acolytes filed into the Sanctuary.

"That goes for you too, Mister. You might be on night watch. Get inside" she lectured the crusader.

"Yes, Mom." he retorted sarcastically. He closed his book and took his sheath in hand, attaching it to his belt.

"Every single night, oy..." he complained. He entered the Sanctuary and locked the door.

"All set Sister. Everyone's accounted for."

"Thank you. The girls have been sent to bed, so we can prepare for the night watch."  
"How bad is it honestly getting?" Kaitosuke asked.

"Well, we've had reports of beginners and first job persons going missing. We have to be careful, especially with our dwindling number of acolytes."

"You're telling me." he sat in a chair, that had a shield next to it.

"I'm ready for night duty. I need something to do."

"All right then Kaitosuke, you can have it, just STAY awake." the priestess hissed at him, and he jumped a bit.

"Goodnight, Dragon Lady" he toyed, and got a stack of church service programs to the face.

"Watch your language, boy."

"Sheesh, what a grouch." he muttered, placing the papers on a desk. He placed a helm on his head, and took up his shield.

"Time for work." he laughed, and stood guard against the door. Hours slowly passed by, and the crusader nodded off every once in a great while, and tonight was a night he should not have...

A loud crashing sound started the crusader, and he unsheathed his blade, looking around. He heard a few cries, and a scream.

"Sounds like someone's taking a pick of our acolytes!" he shouted, and took off to the dorms. He opened the door to find a broken window, and a pair of acolytes crying.

"What's wrong?! Are you both alright?"

"Ye-es..." one barely got out.

"A monster came..." one began. Kaitosuke's eyes widened in fear.  
"...and it grabbed her!" she cried, pointed to a bed all torn up from monster claws.

"What?!"

"What's wrong, Kaitosuke?!" the priestess came in, followed by another Priest.  
"Where...where is Sakura?"

"Sa...ku...ra?" he sounded out.

"Yes, the one with the pink hair!"  
"Oh please no...that monster must've taken her!" the priest got out, looking afraid. He turned to the crusader and said to him,  
"Kaitosuke-kun, you have to go after it. There's no telling what it would do to a sheepish girl like Sakura!"

"Consider it done. I could use some action."  
"Kaitosuke-kun, now is not the time to debate about 'action'. Go get Sakura, and bring her safely here."

"Understood." the crusader took out into the night, passing a stall.  
"Come on boy, we got a mission from the Father to take care of!" he said, getting on his Peco.

"No time to waste, let's make tracks!" he shouted, and took off after what appeared to be a struggle trail.


	2. Sakura

"How far could that thing have gotten with her?" he asked himself, running through the woods. It almost felt like forever but he came across a warp.

"Looks like we're going in!" he said, and followed it. The warp brought him to the dangerous Glast Hiem, the center of major undead monsters and demons.

"Please be safe..." the thought to himself, and dismounted his Peco.

"Stay here boy, I'll be right back." he pet the Peco's beak, and unsheathed his blade, and wandered in.

"Shouldn't be too hard to find a teenage girl." he said to himself, slicing a monster in half. After wandering from room to room, taking down every undead foe in his path, the crusader saw exactly what he hoped _not_ to see.

A Wraith was above the weakened girl, trying to absorb her MP. The crusader suddenly became enraged.

"How care you kidnap our own and use them for energy?!" he shouted at the Wraith, slicing it into pieces of bone. The monster faded into nothing, and the girl still appeared to be face down on the ground. He dropped his blade and shield and scooped the girl up in his arms.  
"Hey, wake up!" he shook the girl.

"Don't you even think about dyin' on me!" The girl's hand gently touched his armor, and she looked up at him.  
"Who...are you?" she looked at him, her eyes meeting his. Her eyes seemed dull, excused from being a Wraith's human battery for an hour of two.

"My name is Kaitosuke, I was sent by Father to come and find you." the girl smiled weakly.

"I'll get up now..." she struggled to get out of his arms, but was forced back down.  
"Absolutely not. You;re too tired to do anything." he ordered, adjusting her position. He stood

"Don't argue with me..."  
"Don't you argue with ME!" he said.

"I'm older, so listen!"  
"Why?"

"Oh come on..."  
"No seriously, why?" she fought back.

'She's like a firecracker...' he thought.

"Alright, let's go before the getting's good." he sat the girl back down, placed his blade sheathed at his side, and his shield on his back.

"How can you carry all that?"

"Training" he teased, and once again brought the younger girl into his arms. Now with slightly more energy, she blushed. She was never -this close- to him, and it was awkward.  
"I didn't realize how strong you were." she said.  
"Oh, really?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I mean, you look so different up close..."

"How so?"

"You're wicked cute." she let slip by mistake, and scrambled to cover her mouth, blushing madly. The crusader facefaulted, and blushed lightly.

"Ah, thanks." the crusader came to the exit of the dungeon, and stood outside.  
"Somethings not right..." he said.  
"What?"

"We got out too easily..."

"Wait, but then how could we get outside?"

"Ambush." he said, placing her on the ground. He looked up and immediately pulled his shield over them, protecting them both from a rain of arrows. The girl cried out and covered her head, while the crusader did the crusader-ly thing and wrapped his thick armored forearm around her, keeping her very close.

"Don't you worry. We'll get outta here." he said.

'He's so brave...not at all what he looks like around the Sanctuary. He's amazingly powerful, almost like a Paladin!' she stared up at him, blushing lightly.

'He's so strong...I can actually rely on him!' He placed her back on the ground.

"You alright?" he asked.

"...Y-yeah! Thanks to you!" she said. The crusader scratched the side of his face lightly with his index finger.

"My, my. Are you flirting with me?" he laughed.

"Ack, no! But I mean, ah, oh, look it that..." she looked at the ground, and blushed hard. He looked behind the girl and saw more arrows.  
"Darn it." he muttered, and put his shield on the ground in front of them.  
"Whaa-aack!" the girl was almost forced against him, and she paced her hand out to stop contact with his armor.  
"Don't move." he said seriously, and brought her as close as possible to him. Both his armored forearms were against her back and she was literally, about two centimeters from his face.  
"...I.." she tried to say. The attack stopped, and all was quiet. He loosened his grip on her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Uh..." he tried to begin. Both of them were completely shy of each other. They didn't expect to spend so much time..._touching each other._ The attack waves were over for now. The shield now at his side, he was still knelt next to the girl.  
"...Sakura was it?"  
"Huh? Mm...yes. My name is Sakura."  
"I'm Kaitosuke"  
"Kai-to-suke?"

"Yes." He looked into her eyes. No longer were they dull and tired, but full of so much energy, that the stars themselves could sparkle in them. They were a beautiful light shade of rose, matching her hair perfectly. Sakura, on ther other hand, looked into his.

His eyes were dark, and emotionless up close. It almost sent a shudder down he poor acolyte's spine. Little reflected in the midnight hues, and his matching almost-shoulder length hair flowed in the wind.

'Like a true warrior...' she thought. Sensing the shudder for cold, the crusader grabbed the edge of his cape with his fist, and wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulder's.  
"Ahhh! Whatareyou..." she tried to spit out.

"Aren't you chilly?" he asked.

"You were shivering.."

'For all the wrong reasons...' the thought quietly, but played along.  
"Yeah, just a bit..."

"Well, let's head back to the Sanctuary." he let the girl go,and she got up on her own.  
"I'm fine.." she tried to act, but was still very exhausted from all the excitement.  
"Of course you are, Miss Independent." He scoffed quietly. He walked close to her, keeping en eye out for an potential danger. His Peco cheeped awkwardly at him for bringing a girl.  
"Oh come on, I have to bring her back." He said. Placing his hands on her waist.  
"What do you think you're doing?!" she meeped as she was lifted into the air, and placed on the peco's back.

"Getting you safe." he said, getting on after her. He adjusted to that she was sitting on his lap.  
"I don;t wana loose you." he said, grasping the reigns.

"Ahh, I see." she said, leaning against him.  
"Hey, Kaitosuke-kun?"  
"Yeah?"

"..Thanks."

"Why?"

"You were there for me..."  
"So?"

"Nobody has ever done something like that for me..."

"Ahh, you're welcome kiddo."

The ride back was quicker with the knowledge of the warp, and they were back at the parish before sunrise.  
"Thank god you're returned!" the priestess said.  
"Are you alright?"

"Yes Sister." she said.  
"Kaitosuke-san protected me the whole time."

"Good job there Kaitosuke" she nudged him. He jumped down.  
"Yeah yeah...I did my job." Sakura went to slide down but got caught on her robe and fell over.  
"UWAH!" she waited for the ground, but it didn't come.  
"Huh?"  
"Nice catch." Father joked. Sakura looked up to see she was cradled in the arms of the brave crusader who saved her life earlier that night. His eyes looked almost the same, but they showed a bit of emotion in them.

'It's like I've seen this look before...' she thought, staring at him.

"Are you all right?" he asked.  
"Uh... yeah. I'm okay." she replied, slightly embarrassed.  
"I'm such a klutz."

"No, you're not." he retorted. He placed her back on the ground, and went off into he church.  
"Looks like he showed care." Father stated.  
""I know...I figured he would partake in joy of watching Sakura hit the ground. He's always teasing the younger acolytes..."  
"Maybe..he finally found someone he can connect with. He won't be so stiff anymore."

"I hope so Father...I hope so."


	3. Past

Later on that morning, the young acolyte got up and prepared herself for the day.

"I'm going out to the market, Father. Is that alright?"

"Yes my child, but stay in town!"

"Yes Father!" she called, shutting the door.

"Sheesh, where's she off to so early?" Kaitosuke yawned, scratching his head. The Acoltye stopped, and listened in on their conversation.

"Kaitosuke-kun, it's noon."

"Like I said, where's she off to so early?" the priest almost facepalmed at this moment, but sweatdropped and laughed quietly.

"Not everyone sleeps like you." The fighter sat down and cracked his neck.

"Didn't seem like a good night sleep..." he began, looking out the window. Birds flew by chirping happily didn't pierce his cold exterior.

"Always cheerful as usual, Kaitosuke-kun..." the priest said to him, reading over paperwork.

"Why are you so happy?"

"No reason, Kaitosuke-saaaan." the priest joked, and swiftly dodged a speeding bible.

"You shouldn't throw the word of God at me."

"Enough Father." the crusader hissed.

"Oh, come on. I go believe the Lord has shown you happiness for you, Kaitosuke."

"Really?"  
"Yes. Didn't you see how happy Sakura was when you caught her?"  
"I was just doing the right thing." he muttered.  
"But you normally wouldn't be outgoing for one of our acolytes. You don't care for 'sob stories' or traumatic events that have hurt them."

"I don't."  
"But then why be gentle to Saku-chan?"  
"..." the crusader looked deep in thought before answering.

"She looks like someone I knew, from back at the Knight Guild."

"I see..." the priest said, resting his head on his hands.  
"Now, what of this girl?"

"She was one hell of a fighter. She didn't back down, and she took every day for her last. She went on countless quests and took care of her friends. I was in love with her at one point, but then, she rejected me. She called me immature and weak. I believe that was proven to me when I became a knight."  
"I see.." he said in reply.

"Tell me more, Kai."

"Well you remember the attack. I had just become a full-fledged knight, when I was sent out to take out a group of monsters. I had taken on one, but another jumped up from behind. She took out the attacking monster, and proceeded to yell at me, not realizing I had just became a knight. She said to me: 'Don't you know ANYthing about combat?! You're risking everyone's safety here. Get out.' "

"Ooh...." the priest facefaulted.

"I was devastated." Sakura looked down, and saddned.

'I know! I'll get him something nice~' she thought, before skipping along.

"And then began your training as a Crusader."  
"A long while after that, but then I did eventually come here.."

"I see. You've really changed since you came here years ago."

"Really?"  
"Really really." he began.

"Kaitosuke, I believe that you were meant to slack off last night."

"What how did you kn-" the priest cut in.

"If you were awake, you would've simply killed that Wraith. But since you weren't, Sakura was kidnapped. I simply told you to bring her back, and you did. You cared for her. She has never experienced caring such as that aside from the priestess who cared for her."

"Mm...."

"Mm? Kaitosuke-kun, please understand that it is not everyday you decide to cuddle an acolyte."

"I DID NOT....cuddle her."

"Oh right, you cradled the girl. You were blushing!"  
"it's because....I was.....tired."  
"Of course it was."

"I'm going out." he said, getting up and grabbing his shield and sword, leaving the church.  
"Stubborn, as always." the priest said, watching him leave.


	4. Mistake

Elsewhere, the acolyte was walking down a street with a bag in her arms.

----  
"I'm so glad I found this..." she said, peering inside.  
"I hope h-" the girl's sentence was cut short when she bumped into a rouge.  
"Well, well, lookit what I got 'ere." he said looming over the frightened healer.  
"I-I-I'm sorry sir." she forced out.  
"Now, now, don't be so nervous. I'm only angry if you make me angry, miss." the rouge grinned, coming closer to the girl.

"Ahh, please leave me alone." she backed up a bit.

"Not so fast, sweetheart. Why don't you come with me?" he hissed, grabbing her arm.  
"No, please, let me go!" she cried out.  
"Don't shout, you'll cause a scene." he covered her mouth. Her muffled cries were loud enough to alert a frazzled male who was walking by. He looked, and saw the scene. She looked, and saw him. She moved her mouth away from the rouge's grip.  
"K-Kaitosuke-san!" she cried out. He startled, and looked straight her way. The crusader seemed to stop, but simply walked away.  
"What?" she started at the empty space where he was.

"What's you shoutin' for?" he said to her, covering her mouth back up.

"There's nobody there." she looked down.

_'Maybe last night was just a fluke.' _she thought.

_'He doesn't really care about me...'_ the rouge grinned.

"I'm gunna have fun with you, girl." Sakura felt threatened, and moved her hand slightly, before muttering some kind of phrase. The rouge was pushed back by a bright light, and he hit the nearest wall.  
"Sorry, you left me with no choice." she said.

"I was only defending myself." The rouge for back up on his feet, before taking out a daggar. She took out a small mace and held it at ready.

"Oh so there is some fight in you...." he muttered, moving closer, but then hiding himself.  
"What? Where did you..." she looked around, as the footprints came from behind and the mace knocked from her grasp.

"Hey!" she said, before the rouge revealing himself. He grabbed her wrists and then held them behind her back. The healer struggled but was easily outmatched physically.

"No Holy Light for me, thank you." he smirked.

"You're a tough one, I like my girls tough. It makes it all worth it." he toyed, causing the girl to squirm more.  
"Stop struggling, and lets go." he let go of her left wrist but still held firm to the other. She attempted to get away but was easily stopped.

"Now, now. Just be a good little girl." he began quietly.

"And I'll make it easy for you..." the healer's expression dropped, and she became afraid.  
"You wouldn't dare."  
"I would. Acolyte girls are the sweetest prize for the taking."  
"Please, don't...." she whimpered. She knew what he wanted.

"I won't let you."

"Well it looks like you don't have a choice..." he smirked to her and began to lead them to what seemed like an empty alley.

"It'll be over in a minute, sweetie." he said, forcing her against the wall.

"It's already over." another voice said. The rouge turned around to see a tall burly figure staring him down. A fully armed, angry figure to be exact.

"Let her go." he commanded. It was stern, and very quiet. The rouge let go of her in an instant, and turned to the figure.

"Now get out of here." he hissed, and the rouge took off. The acolyte was on the ground, shivering in fear of this figure. He smiled, and came closer.  
"What? You're afraid of me?" he asked, faking hurt. Sakura looked up to see her newly acquainted Crusader in place of the figure.  
"K-Kaitosuke-san!" she stuttered. He crouched down.  
"He didn't get that far, did he?"  
"N-no. He didn't even get my jacket off."  
"Thank God. I'm glad you're still...." he trailed off.

"Nothing. Let's get you back to the church." he placed both his hands around her and stood her up. She picked up her bag upside down, and a small necklace fell out of it.  
"Oh?" he looked down and she scrambled to cover it.  
"What did you get?" The acolyte, knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, dusted it off and showed him.  
"I noticed last night that your rosary was old, and it looked damaged. I wanted to repay you for helping me, so I got this for you. It looked like it needed replacing...and..." she said as she was holding it out to him. The Crusader stared at the item for a bit, but something with the phrase 'replacing' made his mood swing. He swatted the rosary out of the girl's hands, and it fell to the ground.  
"What do you mean 'replace?!'" he shouted at her.  
"Don't you know anything about value, you idiot?! How could you even think such a thing?!" the girl stared at him in awe, before picking up the item and replacing it in the bag.  
"I....I have to go." she said very quietly, and walked back to the market. The crusader, his rage wearing off, dragged himself back to the church. Shortly after he returned, so did Sakura.  
"Ahh, did you find anything today Sakura-chan?" the priest chimed in.

"No Father." she said sadly, without looking at him.

"They didn't have what I needed..." she lied, and went to the room she shared, and shut the door softly.

"Strange. She seems upset." he said, turning to Kaitosuke. The Crusader sat in his chair, venting to himself quietly.  
"...and so do you..." he added. The Crusader looked at him.  
"...What?" he asked, bluntly upset.  
"Kaitosuke....tell me what happened." The crusader stayed silent, and after realizing the priest was not going to leave, told him exactly what happened.

"I see..." the priest said.  
"She was only being polite to you...she didn't mean replace like you think she does. She has been raised to thank those who help her..."

"...."

"I see that I can't get to you. It's sad to see how far you've come, but you still live in the past." he finished before getting up.

"What did you say!?" he roared at him.

"You can't let go of the past and move on. You can't let anyone in until you've defeated what has ailed you for so many years...It's late, you should get ready for night watch."  
"....Yes, Father."


	5. Thoughts

The livid Crusader sat there, staring at the wall as time slowly ticked forward. He was trying to get his mind straight, and his thoughts clear. He folded his arms and thought to himself.  
'Why did I yell at her? It's not like she knows what I've been though....' he began.

'That Rosary lead me here....to my new life...but she doesn't know my past at all...while I know hers...She was just trying to be nice...but then again, if she was truly nice, she'd just buy me something simple, like an apple. But then again...' his thoughts continued for hours as he kept himself awake. The silent church gave an eerie air as the night moved on. Kaitosuke was not easily moved by bumps or sounds at all, hell if a merchant was to use uproar, he wouldn't hear a thing. He was consumed by his own thoughts, he was distracted. The night was calm to the lucky fighter, who pondered on and on about his behavior to the girl earlier.

'I....I think I made a mistake.' he thought. He began to relax, and began to hear the noises of the night.

'I had no right to yell at her the way I did. I should've simply explained to her that...' he suddenly turned to the door, which creaked open. He gripped the handle of his blade, but then stopped. A small Yoyo, wearing a golden circlet wandered in. It sniffed the ground, then slowly made it's way over to the girl's room. It pushed the door open slowly, and sneaked in.

"Bo...?" Sakura's voice started.

"How did you get here...?" she said, half asleep. The door opened more, and the half asleep acolyte came out in a nightgown, with the Yoyo on her shoulder.

"You know you can't come here Bo, I don't want Father to know I have a monster tamed." The monkey gave a sad cry.

"I know Bo, but I'll move out soon. I'm beginning to wonder why I stay here anyways..." she muttered, putting the small monkey down. She gave it a banana juice.

"Now go back home to Hoshi." she ordered gently.  
"She'll take care of you until I move out, okay?" the monkey nodded, and skittered out the door. The girl smiled but then turned to see Kaitosuke.  
"...!!!" she backed up. She didn't say a word to him. A look of fear mixed with anger came across her face. She didn't move forward, but instead backwards. He went to say something, but then folded his arms. Her look grew more upset.

"...." was her silent reply, and went back into her room.

'Sorry?' his train of thought began.

'Not like I know how to say it verbally...' he thought to himself. The night soon passed, and then the Crusader went to sleep at dawn. He woke up alarmingly later than usual, and came to the office without armor on.  
"Morning..." he said, scratching his head.  
"Good Afternoon, Kaitosuke. How's the temper?"  
"Meh."  
"That's what I thought~" he said, looking over paper work.

"What you got there, Father?"  
"Oh, just some papers with the new acolyte coming in."  
"New...acolyte?"

"Yes, one moved out this morning, so we must make room for new acolyte."  
"Moved?"

"Yes, you little friend moved out this morning."

"WHAT!?" his jaw dropped.

"What? She was ready to move. She just turned eighteen a few days ago."

"I..." he began. Even though the rules state that once an Acolyte turns eighteen, they are required to move out, he couldn't help but blame himself for the acolyte's departure. He felt his heart heavy, and couldn't explain to why he felt that way.

"Kaitosuke, would you like her address? To go see her?"

"What?" he looked a him surprised.

"I know I'm not supposed to do this, but I know you two need to talk. Here..." he said handing him a paper.

"Now go get her." he nudged. The fighter nodded, returned to his room to get dressed.

"Oh, Kaitosuke, it looks like-" a loud slam was heard, and the Priest was all alone.

"I gave you the wrong....address.." he said to the empty room.

"I suppose the Lord wants you to find her the hard way.....Kiba." he flinched saying the name.


	6. Fight

He didn't run, but he followed the address to a quiet part of Prontera. He started at the door for a few minutes, and when he went to knock, a girl opened the door, with back length blue hair, emerged and shut the door. She turned and to see Kaitosuke, and froze.

"Aaaaand you are?" she hissed at him.  
":My name is Kaitosuke. I'm looking for an acoly-"  
"Don't know her." she cut him off. She started to walk past him, when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.  
"The church just doesn't have any body's addresses on file. You know her, now where is she?" he raised his voice a bit.

"I'm not talking to you." she hissed at him.  
"Yes, you will. I've got all day, missy."

"Absolutely not."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me where Sakura is."

"She doesn't want to see you." she stated, pulling at the hand.

"I don't care!" he said, gripping onto her arm.

"Now let me go. Or I'll be forced to use magic on you."  
"No, and bring it on." he threatened.

"Hoshi?" another voice called. A figure was standing across from the pair.  
"Oh, Tsuyoshi, you're home...early."

"I had the feeling something was wrong." The Crusader looked to the man, then down to the girl.

"I....this is a misunderstanding." he tried to explain, but the man dissapeared, and appeared in front of him. He grabbed the hand that was ahold of the girl, and easily freed her. The girl stumbled a bit, but was easily caught by him, and he gently moved her back.  
"Let me handle him."

"Wait, Tsuyoshi, it's not what you think...he's just..."

"Attacking you." he growled. He cracked his fists, and prapared to fight.  
"If you won't tell me...I will fight you." The Crusader said, dropping his blade.  
"Hah, you think you can beat me unarmed?"  
"Think....no. I know I can." he said.

"You first." he said to the monk.

"That cocky attitude won't get you far!" Tsuyoshi shouted, and came after him. It appeared to be a one-sided battle at the start, the Crusader fiercely trying to stop the Monk's fists from making contact. This continued for about ten minutes or so, until she spoke up.

"It's not his fault! He's just looking for Sakura!" she shouted, having enough of the fight.  
"What?! Why didn't tell me earlier?!" he shouted back. The Crusader took this distraction to his advantage, and forced the monk against the wall with his shield.  
"Game." he said to him, as the monk squirmed to get free. He cried out at the sheer force keeping him pinned. His arms pinned against the shield, he growled at the Crusader.

"Just give up. I don't want to fight you. It's against my morals to fight someone who is no match to me." the Monk started at him, realizing his opponent was completely unarmed, and had him pinned against a wall with just a shield.

"You've fought a long time, haven't you?"  
"...Yeah, I have. I could tell by looking at you that you're new to being a Monk. It really wasn't a fair fight."

"...Alright, I give in." he said, and the Crusader pulled back, allowing him to drop to the ground. He replaced his shield on his back.

"Now can one of you please tell me where I can find Sakura?"

"Sure, just let me remember where she moved to..." Tsuyoshi scratched his head.

"She was supposed to move in with us, but she didn't want to intrude on our..._relationship_." Hoshi blushed hard, and a hint of red as seen on the Monk's face.

"Oh my..." Kaitosuke teased.

"Are you two lo-"  
"Shut up!" he shouted, cutting him off.

"Touchy...." he grimaced.

"I wouldn't be like that..."

"Really? Well, you upset Sakura pretty bad. I'll tell you that much."  
"Yeah...that was a.....misunderstanding. I took what she said the wrong way."

"Let's move inside, where we can talk in private." Hoshi said, moving to the door. The group settled at a table. Kaitosuke began to explain what happened.


End file.
